


Goodbyes Aren't Forever

by orphan_account



Category: Casper (1995)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 08:07:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20060758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: J.T. Mcfadden's machine he dubbed Lazarus broke down the moment Kat and Casper had tried to save her late father Dr. James Harvey the night of October 31rst 1995. Since then Casper and his three Uncles had been trying to keep him company until the day of Kat's eighteenth birthday would hopefully change everything.





	1. Chapter 1

_ **If I don't find what I'm looking for, it's over. No more moving, no more ghost mining.** _

_ **You promise?** _

_ **promise.** _

A promise Dr. James Harvey never meant to break.

He never meant to break the promise he made to his daughter, he never meant to hurt Kathleen, he never meant to do it, it was only an accident. It was an accident, he didn't mean it, he would never abandon his only child...

He was filled with a shameful regret.

An inconsolable grief had overtaken him.

His Earth-bound existence was regret for leaving this vale of tears before his own daughter.

His own child he sworn to look after.


	2. Chapter 2

**James Harvey's final recollection PT.1**

**10/31/1995**

_"Dad!" Kat said, choking out a sob. "daddy? Oh God, Dad! Dad what happened!" she screamed._

_"I told ya not teh look," Stretch yelled. "and you looked," he growled out through clenched teeth. "this is what happens when you don't listen! Stupid kid, what the hell did you think was hiding under the bloody sheet we just carried in?"_

_Kat let out a strangled whimper instead._

_She had no prepared response._

_"Sure ain't no invitation, dat's what," Stinky said, his lips curled into an smug arrogant smile. "dead bodies ain't like what you see on television," he crossed his arms against his chest. "death isn't a rosy pretty picture those fleshies down at Hollywood try selling you dat's fer sure."_

_"And now he's worm chow," Fatso said, he gave a pleasant laugh._

_"Doc got banged up pretty badly," Stretch said, quietly, with the roll of his shoulders. "dat spill he took snapped his neck." he paused a moment then turned to Dr. Harvey. "don't know if you remember or not but you didn't die one of dem painless deaths neither."_

_"The Doc hung around for a few more minutes then he should have," Stinky admitted._

_"And you didn't bother to call an ambulance!" Kat shouted, at the ghostly trio recovering her voice. "why didn't you try to help him!" she clenched her hands into weak fists. "how could you let him die like that! How could you do that to him!"_

_"As I wuz saying the Doc wasn't gonna last much longer," Stretch said, his voice on the edge of anger. "he was writhing and crying, trying to rattle off his last words when we's found him laying at the bottom of dat trench!"_

_"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Kat said, breathlessly. "I can't believe this!"_

_"Kat, Kat, please calm down," James told her, unsure what else to say. "I'm still here!"_

_"You're dead," Kat said, bitterly. "you died! How do you think I feel right now!" she coughed, clearing her throat. "first mom and now you! Why! Why?" a question not even her own father could answer._

_Her eyes were wide, she stared at him, feeling a mixture of fear and worry._

_Kat was only met with an apprehensive silence._

_What could he possibly tell her now?_

_Never had an honest conversation since Amelia passed away._

_Never addressed the denial he felt when he began using parapsychology to try and block out the sadness that consumed his time and energies when he searched in vain for the spirit of his late wife either._

_James never truly grieved Amelia's death as he should have done._

_All he ever been telling Kathleen all these years was this kind of sugar-coated nonsense when he really should have _ _prepared Kat about the hard truths that came with losing a parent._

_His obsession with finding the lost spirit of his beloved wife Amelia was anything but healthy._


	3. Chapter 3

**James Harvey's final recollection PT.2**

**10/31/1995**

_ **Kat's POV** _

_Kat settled herself near her father's corpse that was laid out the floor._

_She was focused on spending the few minutes she had left with the body of the man she once known as her father before someone from the funeral home came to pick up his remains.  
_

_She held James cold lifeless hand that fell out from the bloodied bed sheet._

_Just because her father remained with her in spirit didn't mean his presence was the same when he was alive._

_That was the whole difference between the living and the dead._

_James was living his afterlife with a whole new set of rules that was laid out from his lack of resolution and Kat was aware she was the anchor that bound him to Earth._

_But she wasn't about to let him cross over, she knew better than that._

_As long as J.T. Mcfadden's machine existed, she could try and fix it. She couldn't try to now since she knew wasn't going to be living in Friendship, Maine much longer since both of her parents had died untimely deaths._

_But when she was old enough to come back she would try to finish the work Casper's father started._

_She'd figure out how to fix the machine and everything will be okay again._

_It was the perfect plan._

_Sure, she'd be an adult, but she'd be able to give Casper his second chance to live a normal childhood. Kat wouldn't date a twelve year old child, but she could help his three Uncles raise him, she'd still be able to be there for Casper and help him make friends his own age._

_Her father James wouldn't look a day over thirty but at least he'd have his health._

_It was a risky endeavor but she wasn't going to let go of that one slim chance of leaving Whipstaff Manor without knowing she might be able to help it's former residents._

_She was determined._

* * *

** _Normal POV_ **

_"It's been nearly ten minutes and that kid of yours is still hanging around yer dead body," Stretch said, in a harsh whisper. "maybe you should go and talk to her or sumthing."_

_James was standing near Stretch listening with rapt attention asked him. "I didn't know someone like you ever felt-"_

_"Don't say it," Stretch said, raising his voice._

_"Compassion," came James kind, soft answer._

_James and Stretch exchanged surprised expressions._

_"Kids shouldn't be near dead things," Stretch said, using reason this kind of situation permits. "knock sum sense into dat brat before I do." then breathed out a long depressing sigh. "save it for dat open casket funeral you'll be having a in few days."_

_"Don't think it's the best idea to let her hang around dat corpse much longer either," Stinky said, jumping into the conversation. "closed casket would be the best bet," he was floating next to his brother Stretch offering his opinion. "I doubt any mortician would ever do a good job much less a great job at reconstructing the rest of James face."_

_"Guys," James yelled. "guys, please!" he pleaded._

_A soft chuckle rolled off his tongue. "It's not like she doesn't know," Stretch said, James could hear a hint of cheerfulness in his voice. "we're all friends here ain't we's?" his mood brightened. "dat daughter of yours knows what's up," he smiled. "We ain't hiding any dark, dirty secrets about what happens after people croak, she ain't dem stupid types of people, Doc."_

_Stretch wasn't exactly wrong about his assumptions._

_Kat was different which wasn't a bad thing._

_J_ _ames gave her the best kind upbringing a child learning about the afterlife could have._

_Fatso materialized next to James slapping his back. "and she owes all of that to her dad!"_

_James jaw fell open in disbelief._

_There was a sudden collective of high pitched shrieks that later melted into peals of laughter after the Mcfadden brothers realized Fatso left James breathless leaving all the air escape from his nonexistent lungs._

_"Look at this guy," Stinky said, he was grinning. "he's gonna fit right in." he tussled James brown hair._

_"Now he's got us to teach him the ropes," Fatso shouted._

_The Mcfadden brothers bubbled with positivity now the trio finally became the ghostly quartet. _ _James was one of them now, what part about his death made them upset? He wasn't that miserable dope of a therapist anymore._

_He was the former Dr. James Harvey._

_Ex-therapist._

_Death had stripped him of this title indefinitely._

_He was known as James Harvey to the Mcfadden brothers now._

_He was James and that's all that mattered to them._


End file.
